Heel boom attachment for power shovels



Jan. 5, 1960 R. s. PRIEST 2,919,323

HEEL BOOM ATTACHMENT FOR POWER SHOVELS Filed June 18, less 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. REID G. PRIEST Jan. 5, 1960 R. G. PRIEST HEELBOOM ATTACHMENT FOR POWER SHOVELS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 18, 1958INVENTOR. REID G. PRIEST Jan. 5, 1960 R. s. PRIEST 2,919,323

HEEL BOOM ATTACHMENT FOR POWER SHOVELS Filed June 18, 1958 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. REID 6. PRIEST MrM United Stat p HEEL-BOOMATTACHMENT FOR POWER SHOVELS Reid G. Priest, Port Angeles, Wash.Application June 18, 1958, Serial No. 742,780 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-147This present invention relates to the logging industry and moreparticularly to an attachment for use on normally self-propelled powershovels and like equipment and most especially to a heel boomarrangement for handling logs in loading trucks. and the like wherebythe entire heel boom arrangement and supported log can be movedlongitudinally of the truck bed in addition to have the variousmovements which the power shovel mechanism normally employs in thehandling of its excavating dipper and the like.

Present day logging operations as applied to the larger logs of firstgrowth timber especially involves the use of a tremendous amount ofexpensive power equipment. The amortization of the investment in thisequipment, which rapidly depreciates is one of the major items in thecost of producing saw logs from virgin timber. The better stands oftimber today are in those areas that formerly were considered to bedifficult of access and this requires the logging operator to build andmaintain his own roads and do all things necessary in thehandling of hislogs from the sawing of the same to the delivery of them to a"pointwhere they can be either delivered to' saw mills or delivered totransportation facilities that in turn will deliver them to mills. Thispresent invention, relating as it. does to an attachment to suchmachines as the larger power shovels and the like makes it possible touse, for a greater'part of the time, a very expensive yet essentialpiece of equipment which usually is used only at widely spacedintervals. By applying an attachment toan intricatepiece of equipmentthat is practically'standard with all large'logging operations, a degreeof handling agility can be achieved that is not at all possible with theusual arrangement of using the heel boom loading-equipment.

A principal object ofthis present invention, therefore, is to provide aheel boom attachment for power shovels and the like which will takefullest advantage of the intricate, highly developed and. expensiveequipment which is present in the power'shovels.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment for powershovels and the like wherein the log engaging platform is supported nearits center of mass by pivoted suspension members, the upper-pivots ofwhich are attached to the outer end of thesteam shovel boom; and havingthe inboard end'ofa heel boom arrangement secured to the manipulatoryarm of the steam shovel, to which normally the-excavating bucket issecured.

A further object of this present invention is to provide a heel boomattachment for power shovels'that has the capacity of effecting allmovements normally attributed to the heel-boom-loading arrangement butwhich, in addition, has increasedcapacities'arid movem'ents""ob-"tained"by making ruse -of-the intricate mechanism and control? meansofthe highly developed power shovels.

Further objects," advantages and capabilities will'be apparent-"'- fromthe description and disclosure in the 1 members." These tr'ansyersemembersare allfixedlygse 2,919,823 i atgnt Ja 54 attachment by, showingthe arc through'which the at-,

taching pivots of the suspension members can travel and showing thepositioning of the attachment when taking full use of the translatingmechanism of the power positio'ribeing" shown in dashed shovel bucketarm, one lines;

Figure 3 is a perspectivview illustrating the essential components of myh'ee'l boom attachment and showing it in its association with certainpartsof the power shovel. Some partsa'refbroken awayand sectioned. V VFigure 4 is a'f'ragmeiit'a'ry view, partly in section and illustratingin" perspective arrangement a slack pulling device whichu'nder certainconditionsis desirable for use with my attachment. I

Figure 5' is an elevation, partly in section, show1ng the extremeoutboard: end of my heel boom attachment and illustrating thesheaveemployed with the log rais ing cable.

Figure 6' is a top plan view, partlyin section, illusj ti a'tl ing themanner" in which my attachment is secured" to the end of" the shovelbucketarm and illustrating the strength of this attja-'chr'rieiit, whichisv'ery desirable.

Figure 7 is a'f ragmentary sicle elevation, showing the normallyhorizontal portion of my attachment with the; upwardly'directedpojtioiias the same would be seen if' viewed fromftlie'line77 of Figure 3 FigureI 8" is" a fragmentary vertical view partly in see" tion' taken 'alo'f'g the line 8- 8 of Figu're' 3.

Referring to" the drawings,.throughout whichvllike referencecharacters-indicate like parts; the numeral 10: boom attachment. i Thisre of platform port-ion,

"spaced transversely as the 'members 12 and 14', farming;thef'endmembers' and; a,,plu1'-ality of members 16 intermediately"disposed between the end,

designates generally my* he unit is provided with a logflh I m made upofa"plurality of. c o sely disposed st'tuctural steel member cured, asby welding thereto, tof th e "longitudinal structural steel members .20.Thisf platform arrangement as it takes not only, the

must be ruggedl'y constructed weight of'he'avylogs under conditions ofvery unfavorable fm'echanicja'l advantage but it' also must accept a Igreat deal'of sho ckloadingaswhen the end of-the heavy logs collide withit."

Supported 14 and the lon gitudinal ams- 20, is the outer guide oroutboard portion of the boom attachment. This mem: ber' agaifimust begenerously proportioned,

they are picked up 'for' positioning in the heel boom attachment, but italso must support a weight normally in excess of the weight of the loglifted, due to the fact that the log in itself becomes the. ha libimplatrerai.

to theouter end of the'platfonn and with its members preferably weldedto the transverse beam 4 V as itmust; take not only the shock loading ofguiding the, logsa's;

v a first class leverand-the; point whetethe lifting tongs T is attachedis toward the. butt'endo f'the log which normally will be engaged ;-by

In this type of operatiom-it is, a of course) always necessary that theouter end of thelogi tioned substantially above the plane of theplatform in order to provide operational room for the tongs T. In thepresent drawings, a preferred arrangement of this outboard end isillustrated in which the side guard members, as 32 and 33, are securedto the front face of the transverse beam 14 and the central beams 35 and36 are secured to the longitudinal beams 20 so that there is someangularity between the beams 32, 33, 35 and 36. This relationship isprobably best shown in Figure 7. This arrangement gives increasedstrength due to the overall depth of the structural members. At a pointtoward the outer end from the longitudinal center of the outboardportion of my attachment is provided an additional transversestrengthening member 40. This member forms an end abutment for thelongitudinals 35 and 36 on one side and a point of attachment for theprolongation members 42 and 43. A preferred, although not an essentialconstruction, except in the larger sizes, is to provide a change ofangle at this point substantially after the showing of Figure 8 in thedrawings. At its extreme end the outboard end framework is provided withthe end cross member 44 which serves to join the various memberstogether and to provide protection for sheave 30 and its supportingshaft 31 and also the guide shaft 46 which may under certain conditionscarry additional sheaves for guiding purposes, the same not being shownin the present drawings.

Referring particularly to Figures 3 and 6, a preferred means forcoupling my attachment to the conventional bucket arm 50 is illustrated.The bucket arm 50 is the manipulatory arm of the power shovel. Normallyit is provided with cable supporting means at its extreme outer end sothat it may be swung vertically by that means, pivoting in the rockablebearing assembly 52. This outer end cable, that is normally employed, isnot employed with my attachment. This change in the equipment of thepower shovel frees the large sheaves S4 and 55, one of which, as 54, isnormally not employed with my attachment. The sheave 55 is employed as amatter of convenience to handle the log lifting cable C. The secondcontrol element for arm 50 as generally used is the rack gear 56 and itscoacting mating pinion 58 revolvably supported and driven by shaft 59and suitable sprockets secured thereto, which is power driven fromsuitable source, as by the chains 60.

With my present attachment and as a very important part of my inventionI employ, as a substitute for the cable raising means of the outer endof arm 50, the two suspension members as 62 and 63. These members, whichmust be able to accept as struts, all the shock loading occasioned bythe log L abutting the heel engaging platform, must also support theentire weight of the attachment and the end of arm 50 in addition to acomponent of the force exerted by cable C in the log raising or loweringoperations. They must therefore be generously proportioned and providedwith adequate pivot bearings. The upper pivots 64 which must be axiallyaligned may make use of the sheave supporting shaft 66 or they may haveseparate pivots as long as they are in axial alignment with each otherand parallel to shaft 66. At the lower ends the suspension and strutmembers 62 and 63 are pivotally secured at 68 and 69, preferably to theinner end transverse member 12, this relationship being quite well shownin Figures 2 and 3.

The outer end of the shovel arm 50, after the bucket or other excavationdevice is removed, is secured, preferably, to the longitudinalstructural member 20 of my attachment. This construction is illustratedin its assembled form in Figure 3 and in fragmentary form on a largerscale in Figure 6. In this arrangement, the spaced bolts, betterreferred to as shafts 70 and 72, each pass through arm 50 and througheach of the parallel structural members 20. They are secured in place bysuitable nuts or collars 74 and may employ spacer members as 76 so thata very secure connection will be formed between arm 50 and my attachment1ft. No attempt has been made to show specific details of arm 50 as thisstructure is not critical with my invention and will be found to vary instructural form in keeping with the engineering of the various makers ofthis type of equipment.

When assembled, my attachment 10 is supported by means of suspensionmembers 62 and 63 and by the rockable bearing 52 which guides andsupports the bucket arm Boom B of course is one of the major componentsof the conventional power shovel and is pivotally mounted on thecarriage of the shovel in a very substantial manner. With specialemphasis, normally placed on shock loading, because of the usual shockincidental to excavation work these design features lend themselvesadmirably to the conditions under which the shovel is employed when mydevice is put to use. The outer end of boom B is cable supported as bycables S and U. These cables pass over suitable sheaves sup ported fromshaft 66 and are led back to power operated drums under the control ofthe operator of the power shovel P. With my attachment, this normalfunctional part of the power shovel is employed. The normal functioningof boom B in raising or lowering the outer end of the boom is a verydesirable part of my present device and its functioning in that itpermits lowering the entire attachment and the log, that it may haveraised to the position shown in Figure l, and can then accuratelyposition the log on the truck or rail car with which it is to betransported.

In certain cases, it is desirable to have means for pulling slack incable C. This may result from tongs T not being heavy enough to pull theslack, or the cable C may be of such a diameter that it becomesdifficult for the hook tender to pull the slack required. In such acircum stance the slack puller that is illustrated generally in Figure 4may be employed, and this is usually employed near the upper end or"boom B as illustrated at 80 Where it is normally positioned on a bracketor seat disposed between the two side members as 82 and 84 of boom B.These devices, which are in effect a friction drive for the cable C arenormally operated by fluid motors, which are not illustrated as thisequipment is quite highly standardized and is not an essential part ofthis invention. The fluid lines as 36 and 87 provide for the fluid underpressure supplied to the drive means and its return.

Method of operation It is believed that the general operation of myequipment will be understood to a degree at least from a study ofFigures 1 and 2. The power shovel unit P is positioned so that the boomarrangement will be able to reach logs that have been yarded into acentral point adjacent truck roads and then the unit must still be ableto deposit the log on the transport unit, such as the truck and trailerillustrated in Figure 1. Heel boom loading devices in the past havetaken on many forms. In some cases they are a specialized unit installedin a fixed position as at a saw mill or the like or they may be employedas a self-propelled unit, in which case it has been common to employ arevolvable power unit and have mounted upon it a heel boom arrangementwhich would be similar to the structure of Figure 3 if it were arrangedthat my attachment were fixedly secured to boom B. Such arrangementshave proven to be of great value in the handling of logs and far saferand quicker in their operation than the various type of derrick or ginpole arrangements.

With my present equipment, however, a much more flexible unit isprovided that provides an exact and convenient handling of logs thatcannot be achieved by the usual heavy unit as currently employed. Onegreat advantage of this present equipment is illustrated in theflexibility of the equipment as shown in Figure 2 in that the wholeattachment, including the platform which engages -the inboard endof-thelog iscapable of being positioned without raising orlowering the boom orment and designed for exact positioning of an excava tion bucket. Thissame equipment is employedto give exact placement of log L without thenecessity of moving the entire power equipment or of making adjustmentsof the angular position of the main boom itself. A'high degree ofcontrol is provided when it is only necessary to raise and slack oif oncable C and to move the entire assembly longitudinally by the operationof arm 50. Inv Figure 2 an extreme position is shown in dashed lines butfor most loading operations it only needs a movement of two or-threefeet as a rule to actuallypositiona log and this range is provided inalmost a straight line operationbecause two or three feet of the are 90is for all practical purposes a straight line. In generalthe' heel boomoperation otherwise is quite similar 'to conventional equipment and thecontribution effected in this present application is to provideequipment of this order as a relatively inexpensive attachment for usewith equipment that the average successful logging operator already hason hand, namely, his power shovel. There is, however, an additionalgreat advantage achieved, particularly-by the use of the swingingsuspension members 62- and 63 which enables the normal translatinggear'as the rack 56 and drive pinion 58 of arm 56 to supply a nicety ofcontrol that usually is not considered possible in equipment that musthandle the tremendously heavy loads required to handle the logs cut fromfirst growth timber stands.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the abovedescription and the disclosure in the drawings that the inventioncomprehends a novel construction of a heel boom attachment for powershovels.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A heel boom attachment for power shovels, comprising: a log heelplatform formed of longitudinally disposed and transversely disposedmetal structural members which are rigidly joined together to form aplatform to act as a rest for one end of a log as it is being raised; asheave support and log guide member fixedly secured to said platform andinclined upwardly from the plane of said platform; a sheave revolvablysupported at the outer end of said support and guide member tooperatively position a log lifting cable; a power shovel boom havingspaced side members, pivotably supported from said shovel; means forraising or lowering the outer end of said boom; a plurality ofsuspension members pivotably secured adjacent the inner end of saidplatform and extending upwardly and pivotably secured to said spacedside members near the outer end of said boom; a power shovel bucket armpivotably secured to said boom intermediate the ends of said powershovel boom; joining means adapted to fixedly secure the outer end ofsaid bucket arm to said platform; means for extending or retracting saidbucket arm with respect to said boom and provide that the point ofattachment of said suspension members to said platform, will swing in anarc about the upper pivots of said suspension arms; power means formoving said bucket arm; power means for positioning said boom and powermeans for operating said log lifting cable.

2. A heel boom attachment for power shovels, comprising: a log heelplatform formed of longitudinally disposed and transversely disposedmetal structural mem bers which are rigidly joined together to form aplatform to act as a rest for one end of a log as it is being raised; asheave support and log guide member fixedly secured to said platform andinclined upwardly from the plane of said platform; asheave-*revolvablyisup ported at the outer'endi of :said' support andguide merit-z.

berto operatively position a log lifting cable; a power tending orretracting said bucket arm with; respect to said boom and provide athird'pointof support for-said: platform to stabilize it as it swings inan are about the:

upper pivots of said suspension arms; power means-for moving said bucketarm; power means for positioning said boom and power means for operatingsaid log lifting cable.

3. A heel boom attachment for power shovels, comv prising: a log heelplatform formed of longitudinally.

' disposed and transversely disposed metal structural members which arerigidly joined together to form a-platform;

to act as a rest for one end of a log as it is being raised;

a sheave support and log guide member fixedly secured to said platformand inclined upwardly from the plane of said platform; asheave-revolvably supported at the outer end of said support andguidemember to operatively position a log lifting cable; a power shovelboom having spaced side members, pivotably supportedfrom said shovel;cable means for raisingor lowering the outer end of said' boom; asuspensionmemberpivot-- ably secured adjacent the-innerend-ofsaidplatform and extending upwardly and pivotably secured near the outer end'of said boom; apower shovel bucketvarm,

pivotably secured to said boom intermediate the ends of said powershovel boom; joining means adapted to fixedly secure the outer end ofsaid bucket arm to said platform; a rockable bearing assembly forslidably supporting said bucket arm from said boom; gear means forextending or retracting said bucket arm with respect to said boom andprovide that the point of attachment of said suspension members to saidplatform, will swing in an are about the upper pivot of said suspensionarm; power means for moving said bucket arm; power means for positioningsaid boom and power means for operating said log lifting cable.

4-. A heel boom attachment for power shovels having a revolvablemachinery and operators cab, comprising: a log heel platform formed oflongitudinally disposed and transversely disposed metal structuralmembers which are rigidly joined together to form a platform to act as arest for one end of a log as it is being raised; a sheave supportingframework fixedly secured to said platform and inclined upwardly fromthe plane of said platform; a sheave revolvably supported at the outerend of said support to operatively position a log lifting cable; a powershovel boom pivotably supported from the revolvable cab of said shovel;cable means for raising or lowering the outer end of said boom; aplurality of suspension members pivotably secured adjacent the inner endof said platform and extending upwardly and pivotably secured to saidspaced side members near the outer end of said boom; a power shovelbucket arm pivotably secured to said boom intermediate the ends of saidpower shovel boom; joining means adapted to fixedly secure the outer endof said bucket arm to said platform; means for extending or retractingsaid bucket arm with respect to said boom and provide that the point ofattachment of said suspension members to said platform, will swing in anare about the upper pivots of said suspension arms; power means formoving said bucket arm; power means for positioning said boom and powermeans for operating said log lifting cable.

5. A log handling, heel boom attachment for power shovels, comprising:spaced apart longitudinal structural beams having a straight,substantially horizontal platform portion and an annularly disposedupwardly directed guide portion; a plurality of closely spacedtransverse structural beams fixedly secured to the platform portion ofsaid longitudinal beams to provide a log heel rest platform; a pluralityof transverse structural beams fixedly secured to said upwardly directedportion of said longitudinal beams to provide a log guide portion ofsaid boom attachment; a log lifting cable sheave disposed on atransversely disposed shaft secured to said log guide portion; a powershovel bucket arm operatively secured to a power shovel and having meansfor fixedly securing the outboard end of said arm to said log restplatform; a power shovel boom adapted to be pivotably secured to a powershovel and to move in a vertical plane; a power shovel having powermeans and means for revolving said power shovel and said shovel boom ina horizontal plane; a pair of spaced rigid suspension members pivotablysecured to opposite sides of said boom and to opposite sides of said logheel rest platform on an inner end transverse beam; said suspensionmembers of sufficient strength to support the entire weight of said logrest platform and a log as it is being raised and being moved along avertical arcuate path in a loading sequence; and a log raising cableadapted to pass over said sheave and power means for operating thecable.

6. A log handling, heel boom attachment for power shovels, comprising:spaced apart longitudinal structural beams having a straight,substantially horizontal platform portion and an annularly disposedupwardly directed guide portion; a plurality of closely spacedtransverse structural beams fixedly secured to the platform portion ofsaid longitudinal beams to provide a log heel rest platform; a pluralityof transverse structural beams, in-

eluding an end cross member, fixedly secured to said upwardly directedportion of said longitudinal beams to provide a log guide portion ofsaid boom attachment; side guard members secured at one end to the outermargin of said platform and converging to their opposite ends where theyare secured to said longitudinal beams; a log lifting cable sheavedisposed on a transversely disposed shaft secured to said log guideportion within the framework of said guide portion and behind said endcross member; a power shovel bucket arm operatively secured to a powershovel and having means for fixedly securing the outboard end of saidarm to said log rest platform; a power shovel boom adapted to bepivotably secured to a power shovel and to move in a vertical plane; apower shovel having power means and means for revolving said powershovel and said shovel boom in a horizontal plane; a pair of spacedrigid suspension members pivotably secured to opposite sides of saidboom and to opposite sides of said log reel rest platform on the innerend of said log heel rest platform; said suspension members ofsufiicient strength to support the entire weight of said log restplatform and a log as it is being raised and being moved along avertical arcuate path in a load ing sequence; and a log raising cableadapted to pass over said sheave and power means for operating thecable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,909,689 Kuchar May 16, 1933 2,327,015 Carlson Aug. 17, 1943 2,613,831Rees Oct. 14, 1952 2,626,715 Sparks Jan. 27, 1953 2,656,059 Troyer Oct.20, 1953 2,745,559 McIntyre May 15, 1956 2,784,850 Batson et al. Mar.12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 852,661 France Oct. 30, 1939

